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Introduction
The report of the Office of the Síndic de Greuges of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) provides information about the Síndic de Greuges’ activity during the 2019/2020 academic year.
In performing this task, the document you are now holding has compiled the main indicators of the activity performed, summarizing the recommendations made and how they have been implemented at the University.
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During 2019/2020, there has been a significant increase in the Síndic de Greuges’ activity, with the Office receiving 270 complaints from members of the University community, 83 more than during the 2018/2019 academic year.
Based on the complaints received, 89 procedures were opened, as a result of which 65 decisions were drafted and 3 recommendations were issued to the University to improve its regulations or processes.
A large part of the Síndic de Greuges’ increased activity corresponds to complaints generated by the health crisis in which we have been immersed since March 2020 and which has impacted on many people in very different ways. In particular, between April and June, a large number of students have contacted the Síndic de Greuges because they believed that the measures adopted by the University infringed their rights.
The Síndic de Greuges’ institutional activity has also become more intense after my appointment as secretary of the Executive Committee of the Conferencia Estatal de Defensores Universitarios (CEDU). Since March 2020, this Committee’s activity has been severely disrupted by the pandemic, and all meetings with other síndics de greuges and university ombudsmen are now held online.
To help me in my work, I have been able to draw on the invaluable technical support provided by Teresa Girona, the Office of the Síndic de Greuges’ administration manager, and the work carried out by the University’s academic and administrative staff, who have engaged actively in resolving the complaints. And, last but not least, my work as síndic has benefited from the support provided by the University’s governing bodies. Yet again this year, I would like to thank each and every one of them.
Dr. Agustí Cerrillo Martínez
Síndic de greuges
